Priest accused of US abuse still working in India: was sent to prayer as discipline

[Bluebear]

Anderson held a news conference Monday to draw attention to the Jeyapaul case, demanding he be suspended and returned to the U.S. to face justice.

"Everyone knew there was a serious problem, but they chose not to ask and they chose not to tell," Anderson said.


ST. PAUL, Minn. – Top officials at the Vatican were warned more than four years ago about a Catholic priest later charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Minnesota, according to newly released Vatican correspondence, but to this day he continues to work in his home diocese in India.

Prosecutors in Minnesota said Monday they are trying to extradite the Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul. Jeyapaul denied the abuse allegations and said he has no plans to return to the United States to face the courts.

The Vatican said Monday it has cooperated with U.S. law enforcement officials working to extradite Jeyapaul. In a statement to The Associated Press, Vatican attorney Jeffrey Lena said the Holy See handed over the priest's address in India. He said the Vatican had recommended Jeyapaul be defrocked, because it believed the charges were serious enough, but that his local bishop in India refused.

The bishop, the Most Rev. A. Almaraj of the diocese of Ootacamund, said he had disciplined Jeyapaul by sending him to a monastery for prayer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/church_abuse

[damntexdem]

1. Hey, c'mon, I bet they also spanked his hands with a ruler.

And if they had a nun do it, then it really, really hurt.

;-)

[panader0]

2. The church probably feels that it's not child abuse

if it's with an Indian child.

[Kingofalldems]

3. Father Ritter was also sent to India as I recall.

He was in charge of a home for runaway boys in NYC.